Ancient Egypt
SWBAT:
examine the social class system in
ancient Egypt through the lens of
Herodotus
Do Now
DIRECTIONS:
1.Write your name on top of the half
sheet
2.Circle the answer the best
completes each multiple choice
questions
3.When finished, flip it over 
Writing System
• What form of writing did the
Egyptians use?
Hieroglyphics!
Hieroglyphics “Alphabet”
24 “letters” + 700 phonetic symbols
Hieroglyphic
“Cartouche”
Egyptian Letter
• Egyptians did not use the
equivalent of vowels in their
alphabet
• Write a quick note to your partner
without using any vowels (pencil
might be a good idea here!) and see
if they can read it.

Making an Ancient
Egyptian Mummy
• Read “Making an Ancient Egyptian Mummy”
• Complete Questions 1-3 on your own when
you are finished reading.
• Use reading strategies!
-note questions you have about the text
in the margins, highlight/underline main
ideas & where responses to the
questions can be found
Do Now
• DBQ Practice: Egyptian Achievements
What do you know about the
Egyptian pyramids?
9
The Egyptian
Pyramids
The Pyramids
The Pyramids at Giza
11
How were the pyramids built?
The Pyramids at Giza
12
Who built the pyramids?
The Great Pyramid at Giza
13
Central Historical
Question
Did slaves build the Great
Pyramid at Giza?
Organize and Evaluate
DIRECTIONS:
• As a small group, you will read each
document, then complete the
graphic organizer for each
document, TOGETHER.
• We will share out findings as a
class, THEN move on to the next
document.
Final Claim
DIRECTIONS: Write a paragraph that
addresses the question below.
• Do you think slaves built the Great
Pyramid at Giza? Why or why not?
(Make sure to use evidence from at
least two of the documents in this
lesson to support your claim.)
SWBAT
• Analyze Ancient Egypt through
photographs
Do Now:
• Why do you think ancient
Egyptian civilization is referred
to as “the gift of the Nile”?
A visual understanding of Egypt
REMEMBER: Egypt is in Africa
Maps of Egypt
• Where might
someone choose to
settle in Egypt?
A View of Egypt by Satellite
Lower
Egypt
Upper
Egypt
The Fertile Nile Valley
• Silt & Fertile Soil
• Used for Travel & Trade
Nile Floods Annually
Irrigation
Timeline of Ancient
Egyptian History
Era
Time Frame
Nile Culture Begins
Old Kingdom
Middle Kingdom
New Kingdom
3900 B. C.
2700 – 2200 B. C.
2100 – 1800 B. C.
1570 – 1000 B. C.
Menes: Unifier of Upper &
Lower Egypt
3050 B. C.
Scenes of Ancient Egyptian
Daily Life
Egyptian Social Hierarchy
• Power Passed
from one ruling
dynasty (family)
to another
Egyptian Social Hierarchy
Egyptian Social Hierarchy
• Pharaohs- rulers of central
government
= to god
- divine right, absolute power
• Vizier- chief minister
- appointed by Pharaoh
- supervise government
Ancient Egyptian Housing
Middle Class
Homes
Peasant
Homes
Some Famous Egyptian
Pharaohs
Tutankhamon
1336-1327 B. C. E.
Thutmose III
1504-1450 B. C. E.
Ramses II
1279-1212 B. C. E.
Egyptian Nobility
An Egyptian Woman’s “Must-Haves”
Mirror
Perfume
Whigs
Egyptian Priestly Class
Egyptian Scribe
Stone  Papyrus
Hieratic Scroll Piece
Papyrus Plant
Egyptian Math &
Draftsmenship
1
10 100 1000 10,000 100,000
1,000,000
What number is
this?
Champollion & the Rosetta
Stone
Preparations for the Underworld
ANUBIS weighs the
dead person’s heart
against a feather.
Priests protected
your KA, or soulspirit
Materials Used in
Mummification
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Linen
Sawdust
Lichen
Beeswax
Resin
6. Natron
7. Onion
8. Nile Mud
9. LinenPads
10. Frankinsense
Preparation for
the Afterlife
Egyptian Mummies
Seti I
1291-1278 B. C. E.
Queen Tiye,
wife of
Amenhotep II
1210-1200 B. C. E.
Ramses II
1279-1212 B. C. E.
Journey to the Underworld
The dead
travel on
the “Solar
Bark.”
A boat for the
journey is
provided for a
dead pharaoh in
his tomb.
The Pharaoh’s Servants
in the Afterlife
Treasures buried for the Afterlife
• This model of a granary was
discovered in the tomb of
Meketre, an important official
during Mentuhotep II’s Dynasty
and continued to serve
successive kings. A set of models
depicting weaving, carpentry, &
food production was placed in his
tomb. They were intended to
provide Meketre's spirit with
everything it would need in the
afterlife.
• A variety of writing surfaces were
available to Egyptian scribes. One
of the figures shown here writes
on a whitewashed board, while
the other uses a roll of papyrus.
Pyramids
• Limestone blocks (2 ½ tons each!)
• Pulled up ramps on sleds
Stepped Pyramid at
Saqqara
“Bent” Pyramid of King
Sneferu
Giza Pyramid Complex
Plan of the Great Pyramid
of Khufu
The Valley of the Kings
(burial site of Pharaohs of the New Kingdom)
Archaeologist, Howard Carter
(1922)
Entrance to King “Tut’s” Tomb
Map of Egypt
King Tutankhamon’s Death
Mask
1336-1327 B. C. E.
King Tutankhamon
King Tutankhamun’s Tomb
Treasures From Tut’s Tomb
The Valley of the Queens
1473-1458 B. C. E.
Temple of Queen
Hatshepsut
Queen
Nefertiti
Abu Simbel:
Monument to Ramses II
1279-1213 B. C. E.
Wrap Up
• Describe some of the
achievements of Ancient
Egyptian civlization
Routes of the “Sea Peoples”
The end of the Bronze Age!
Compare & Contrast
Ancient Mesopotamia
& Ancient Egypt
Do Now
• Complete 2 DBQs: “Achievements
of Ancient Civilizations” Egypt
Venn Diagrams
• Venn Diagrams:
-identify different aspects of groups
-show relationships between groups
-make distinctions between two groups
Discussion
• How would you organize a Venn
Diagram?
• What elements would you use
to complete the Venn Diagram?
Mesopotamia and Egypt
Your Task:
• Begin working on Venn Diagram
comparing & contrasting Ancient
Mesopotamian civilizations &
Ancient Egypt
• You may use your notebooks, and
each other!
-Be as detailed as possible
What topics?
• Government
• Social Class
• Writing System/Language
• Culture
• Religion
• Major Achievements
• Economy
• Geography
Wrap Up
• What are similarities and differences
that you found?
• Can you assess the value or importance
of comparing two river valley
civilizations?
• What judgments can you make about
each civilization?
-What data did you use to make those
conclusions?
Homework
• Using your venn diagram, you will
write 2 body paragraphs
• The first describing similarities
between Ancient Mesopotamia and
Ancient Egypt
• The second describing differences
between Ancient Mesopotamia and
Ancient Egypt
SWBAT
• Improve their essays with a thesis
and conclusion
Do Now: Share your similarities and
differences with a partner
• We will review how to write thesis
statements and conclusions using
UNC’s Writing Center handouts
Your Task:
• Working with your partner, complete
the worksheet handed out to you
• You can use pages 22-31 in the text to
assist you.
-the questions are not in order of the
textbook
• We will review some of the major
questions to wrap up
Closing
• How are the early civilizations
of Egypt similar to the early
civilizations of Mesopotamia?